Kirk, Rams shut down Tigers

Owasso pitcher Austin Kirk looked like a man possessed on the mound Friday night against Broken Arrow. The Rams lefty controlled the game from start to finish with a mixture of his overpowering fastball and well timed off speed pitches. Kirk managed to strike out an impressive 14 Tiger batters while only giving up two infield hits on the way to a 1-0 Ram victory in the Drillers Showcase. Although Kirk was in near perfect form, Broken Arrow pitcher Mason Hope kept the Tigers in the game with a stellar performance of his own. Hope got off to a rocky start in the first inning by giving up an infield single to the Rams lead-off hitter Ryan Mayfield which eventually led to Mayfield scoring on a wild pitch that proved to be the winning run. Hope was on cruise control after he managed to escape the first inning by only giving up the one run. Even though a 1-0 game can sometimes lack in excitement, this game managed to keep fans on their feet with amazing defensive play from both the Rams and Tigers. In the bottom of the second inning Tigers center fielder Alex Cochran prevented the Rams from extending their lead by throwing out Owasso's Tyler Sparks on a close play at the plate. In the top of the fourth inning Rams left fielder Ryan Wilson provided fans with possibly the play of the year when he managed a full extension diving catch on rocket hit by Broken Arrow's Zach Donberger which received a standing ovation from the 1,700 fans in attendance.